As you enter the Beckett Theatre, ‘Rebel Yell’ by Billy Idol is blasting through the speakers and various Google searches are being projected onto the big screen at the back of the stage. Ever wondered how much a horse costs, or how much a blow job costs, or if you can take a dead squirrel into Australia? We all get lost in the vortex that is the Internet, and this kind of sets the tone of what’s to come for the next hour.
Kim Noble has created a one man show that will obliterate any moral standing you have. While this is an experimental piece of theatre art, Noble violates you with his visual imagery both on the stage and on the screen. The content of this work is not for the faint of heart. In fact, one middle-aged couple left not even five minutes in. While there is a warning about the material, it really isn’t enough. Noble’s life is a social experiment, and we are taken into it as he explores the meaning of being alone. The purpose of this show is to understand that we are born alone, and we die alone but that what we create in between is an illusion. If this is sense of extreme freedom is what drives Noble every day, then good on him, but it’s not something most people can relate to.
The video footage that plays part in of the storytelling is incredibly disturbing and to any ordinary person would be a complete breach of privacy. My questioning throughout the entire piece was how this work continues to be put on all over the world when he is quite frankly breaking the law? All I can put it down to is that Noble has found some loop hole. He seems like a nice guy, really, but he’s rather eccentric to be leading his life in such a way that breaks all barriers. To each their own, but this is definitely not how most would choose to create a legacy.
There is no denying I was intrigued and captivated the whole time, but I was shocked too. I saw things I never wanted to see and for that, I warn anyone who does not wish to see animal cruelty, beastiality, porn, seedy Internet relationship conversations, faecal matter in a church, or extreme privacy breaches of perversion then this show is probably not for you. There was, however, a touching storyline that followed the final years of his dad’s life, and while the footage was confronting, it was beautiful to see his close relationship with the man who gave him life.
This show will definitely be a conversation starter for a good while after, and the soundtrack is awesome too! But if you have moral limits and don’t enjoy audience participation (even though nothing happens to you), maybe find another show to go to. Kudos to Kim Noble for being brave enough to put himself and his life out there. This takes a lot of courage.
Just a bit of a funny. As I was exiting the show I heard a woman say, “Let’s get out of here!” Pretty much sums up the experience for many I would think! Perhaps that’s just the sort of response he was looking for.
You’re Not Alone is playing at The Coopers Malthouse in Melbourne until August 13th. For tickets and more info, head HERE.
The reviewer attended the show on Wednesday August 2nd. Photos by Geraint Lewis.
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